What Determines Magic
by Estrella Nuvola
Summary: Story of main characters' seventh year if most of the Half-Blood Prince didn't happen. They're still fighting the war, but a new assistant teacher in Divination could change anything. Warning for lemons, limes, and more.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Draco

* * *

I glared at the painfully red engine of the Hogwarts Express as it pulled up to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. One more year, I kept telling myself, one more stupid year of this bloody school. And then I would be free. I had a pretty good plan after graduation. I was going to take all of my saved up money and get my mum and myself away from my bloody dad and his issues. I scowled as I lugged my trunks onto the train and thought about my worthless excuse for a father, how he was caught up in all the Voldemort rubbish, and how I didn't want to deal with it. The year couldn't end soon enough for me.

I stowed my luggage in an empty compartment as the train pulled away from the station and slumped down in a seat after slamming the door closed. I didn't have the energy to search out and deal with Crabbe and Goyle. I was sure they would come looking for me later, but I'd probably just tell them to leave me alone and make up some excuse about having to do some Head Boy business. I groaned. Head Boy. And Granger was Head Girl. Bloody--

"MALFOY!" a yell came from the other side of the compartment door. Speak of the devil. Stupid mudblood.

"What do you want, Granger?!" I yelled back and rubbed my temples. I could feel a migraine coming on. The door slid open and cold brown eyes met my own grey ones. Hermione Granger, seventh grade Head Girl, stood before me in all her uniformed, bushy-haired glory. An entire year spent sharing a dorm with her. Fantastic.

"We have a meeting with Professor McGonagall up front. Going to tell us about our duties and the password to our dorm." She actually sneered when she said 'our'. I made a face at her.

"Whatever." I stood and pushed past her, making my way to the front of the train. As I passed one of the compartment Goyle stuck his chubby head out.

"Draco!" he called after me. I stopped and hear Granger stumble to a halt behind me.

"What?" I snapped through clenched teeth.

"Come sit with us when you're done with the mudblood." I heard sniggers from the compartment. Rumors about Granger and me were the last thing I needed. But I'd deal with that later.

"We'll see." I said and started walking again, not waiting for his response.

"Gosh, Malfoy." Granger said from behind me, "That was low even for you, talking to your friends like that."

I whirled around so quickly she ran into me. She backed up quickly and looked a little frightened, "Listen, Granger." I hissed, "I don't need your attitude. I just need to get through this bloody year, and being Head Boy to your Head Girl does nothing for my mood. So let's make a deal here and now; you stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours, alright?"

She blinked at me for a few seconds before nodding vigorously, "Sure. Sounds great."

"Good." I growled and turned back around to continue stalking down the narrow corridor.

* * *

I stared aimlessly out the window as McGonagall yammered on about how we were supposed to 'set an example' and other such nonsense. After she'd told us where the dorm was and given the password, tiddly-tump, I'd completely zoned out. I didn't want to be here, and if it hadn't been on my mum's insistence, I would have dropped out. But she desperately wanted me to finish my education so I could get a good job in the future. So I had to suffer another gruesome year at bloody Hogwarts.

"Draco!" McGonnagall's voice snapped me back to reality.

"Huh?" I looked at her lazily.

"Are you paying attention, Mister Malfoy?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in my direction.

"Sorry, professor." I said with false sincerity, "I'm really tired. I've been working hard over the break." Which was a partial truth. I really had been working hard to save up money. Over the summer my whole life had changed when I decided to escape my father at the end of the school year. I'd had to work many hours over the summer.

"Well, the meeting is over and I'm sorry if you missed something vital." McGonagall said with a bit of an attitude. "Maybe if you ask Miss Granger nicely she'll fill you in on what you missed."

Yeah right, I thought as I coughed to cover a laughed and followed Granger out of the professor's compartment. I didn't bother to ask the bushy haired girl in front of me about the meeting. I didn't care. If I had to, I'd read up on Head Boy and Girl's issued duties in the library. We passed Crabbe ad Goyle's compartment and I didn't even hesitate. I really didn't feel like dealing with anyone at all, that day or the entire year really. Hermione turned, without a word, into a compartment I was sure housed Potty and the Weasel siblings. Good riddance.

When I got back to my quiet compartment I closed the door and locked it with a spell before getting my uniform out of my trunk and set it out on one of the cushioned benches. I then stretched out on the other side and, with my wand in close reach, dozed off for the rest of the ride.

* * *

The immense noise in the crowded Great Hall was bad enough to turn my headache into a screaming migraine. I mentally blocked out what Dumbledore was saying and went to lay my head down when something caught my eye. Pink hair. At the teachers' table. I blinked and looked back to the front, noticing as I did so that many of the students were staring in that direction.

A young woman sat beside the loony Professor Trelawney. From what I could tell, she was thin with a fair complexion, a very pretty face, and a bright pink streak running through the bangs of her long brown hair. I couldn't determine any other physical details because she was so far away. I started listening to Dumbledore, hoping I hadn't met the woman's introduction. Thankfully, he was just starting.

"And I'm sure you've all noticed a new face among your professors." He started with a smile. He turned, sweeping a hand out towards the young woman, who stood and gave a graceful bow, "This is Miss Reeves and she will be assisting Professor Trelawney this year in Divination." The students all clapped and some guy from the Ravenclaw table called out for a speech. Reeves shook her head with a smile and sat back down as the students laughed and cheered a bit louder.

I rolled my eyes and thumped my head on the table, forgetting about the plate and the migraine. Needless to say, that made everything worse. I was sure I had Advanced Divination this term and I didn't feel like dealing with a prissy thing like her. This year was not looking so great.

* * *

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew someone was shaking me. I swatted their hands away and sat up slowly, blinking drearily about the emptying Great Hall. Oops. A hand gripped my shoulder and I whirled around to punch whoever it was, Goyle apparently, in the gut. He doubled over with a grunt. I got up from the bench in a slovenly way. I ignored Crabbe and Goyle's questions and stalked out of the hall and pushed through the jostling crowd. I could hear the Prefects calling out for the first years to follow them and be orderly. Everyone was heading up the main stair case, but I knew of a lesser one behind a tapestry that would lead right up to the portrait that served as the door to my new dorm. As I began to turn a corner I heard hushed voices. I stopped and hid behind a statue, casting a simple spell to help my hearing. I heard a worried Granger.

"But professor, is she going to be alright?" I heard her ask in that annoying voice of hers. She sounded worried.

"It's quite alright d-d-dear." That tittery, stuttering voice had to be Trelawney. She cleared her throat. "I've known Elise for years, and this is normal. She's just having a, um, a spontaneous vision, I guess you could call it. She'll explain more when you see her in class. She'll snap back in a second or two."

That's interesting I noted. Somebody was a clairvoyant. A student maybe? I stopped thinking to listen to what was going on. The Elise girl was waking up.

"Professor?" the new voice was soft and a bit low. Almost sexy.

"Yes, dear? Was it anything disastrous?" Trelawney sounded eager. I heard Elise laugh.

"No, no, it was just some nonsense. I get that sometimes." I shifted uncomfortably. Kneeling behind a statue was annoying.

"Hi!" Granger exclaimed happily. Bloody hell she was annoying. "I'm Hermione Granger, it's an honor to meet you…erm, Professor Reeves?"

Professor? The young woman that was helping out Trelawny? Well that made sense. I sat up a little straighter to here the response.

"Oh no, Miss Granger." Reeves laughed, "I am not a professor. You can just call me Elise. I've heard a lot about you and would actually like to get to know you. I think we might get along, after all I love to read and debate, and I believe I'm only about a year younger than you." A year younger than us? That's…interesting. I thought and stored that information away for later, wondering how other students would feel about having such a young girl for their teacher.

Fading footsteps and nervous laughter told me the odd group of mongrels were moving on. I waited a few minutes before continuing on my way to the dorm, pondering over what I had just overheard and what it would mean for the upcoming year.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Elise

* * *

I paced around the classroom as Professor Trelawney watched me with an amused expression. I was beyond nervous. What I was thinking, coming back to the magical world? Especially accepting Dumbledore's offer to help teach Divination. This was ridiculous, preposterous, and there was no way any of the students here would listen to me. The only way these kids were going to listen to me was if I got mean or something, and I couldn't do that. I just couldn't. By nature I was a relatively kind person. I tried not to be cruel but…well I would do what was necessary to gain respect. I would try kindness and friendliness first, but if that failed, I would move on to being a bit tougher. I jumped a bit when I heard footsteps on the ladder and voices coming from below the trap door. Professor Trelawney laughed at me. I sent her a scowl and then laughed too before joining her by the fireplace. I leaned against the mantle as a stream of seventh years bustled in and began to take seats.

It was Advanced Divination, so it was a small class, and soon everyone had found a seat and blinked curiously at me. I scanned the room to see what kind of people were here. My eyes fell on Hermione Granger first, and I as happy to see her here. She was sweet. Sitting at the round table with her was a handsome, lanky black boy with dark watchful eyes and none other than Harry Potter himself. I nodded to the three of them and continued to study the silent students. There was a very fair skinned girl with hair so blond it was almost white. She had a distant look in her eye as she gazed off into the distant, seemingly focusing on no particular. Next to her was a round faced boy who looked even more nervous than me. His dark brown eyes darted around the room every now and then. The final table was occupied by two young men.

The first was a very tall and attractive black…man really. That's what he looked like. Surely he couldn't be a seventh year. He was staring out the window looking bored. The person next to him had shaggy white-blond hair that hung into his grey-green eyes. He was very attractive but there was something about him that set me off…he reminded me of someone. But I wasn't going to worry about that just yet. I hadn't even tasted these student's auras. I made a note that most of the tiny class was from Gryffindor, with one Ravenclaw, and two Slytherins as Professor Trelawney stood and began to talk about the inner eye. Eventually, her attention turned to me. Super.

"This…" she began dramatically, causing me to smile. Sybill could always put a flair onto her words. "is my dear friend Elise Reeves, and she will be assisting me during this class as well as during one other Divination period. Give her a warm welcome, my students."

Hermione clapped enthusiastically and her companions, as well as the blond girl and frightened boy, clapped politely. The two Slytherin boys smirked at me. This was going to be fun. I narrowed my eyes and let my smile fade away. I was not going to let these guys push me around. I stepped forward and nodded to each of them in turn. Time to let them know what I was all about.

"Good morning everyone." I greeted with a smile.

"Hi Miss Reeves!" Hermione called back cheerfully.

"Please, everyone, call me Elise." I said, waving a hand dismissively. I'd thought about it all night and realized it was stupid for them to call me that. I hoped letting them address me by my first name wasn't a mistake. They all nodded except for the Slytherins. They sniggered. Good to know I'd gained some respect already, I thought sarcastically. I decided to ignore them.

"Everyone has an inner eye." I started. Hermione actually looked like she didn't believe me. I smiled at her, "It's just that some peoples' is buried deep and must be brought out. Some, however, will never be able to reach their inner eye. It's just how it is."

"Is this all you're going to do, then?" the familiar looking blond sneered. I turned and opened my mouth to say something back, but he cut me off, "You're just as loony as Trelawney then, doing nothing but speaking of the 'inner eye'. Bloody hell, I don't care about that nonsense."

I sighed and walked over to him. Time to show these people what I can do. I stopped on the opposite side of the table of him and leaned forward, placing my hands near his own. "Well, mister…"

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." He sneered again. I had a tough time keeping the shock from my face. I knew I had recognized him. He looked just like his father.

"Pity." I said. He looked confused and I heard one of the boys in Hermione's direction cough. "Anyway, mister Malfoy, I am going to demonstrate exactly what I can do." I snatched his arm up from the table, wrapping my fingers around his thin wrist.

"What are you doing?" he demanded and tried to pull away. He was strong, and probably could have broken my hold if he wanted to, but I worked out for reasons like this.

"I'm going to delve into your past, mister Malfoy, and report it to the rest of the class." I said simply and let the power inside me, my 'inner eye', see into the boy I was touching. I didn't restrain my power, which was a mistake. Who knew such a young person could have such a troubled life. I was shocked at what I saw; an adorable young blond boy covered in bruises and crying, a beautiful woman being beaten unmercifully by a large man with long blond hair, the same blond boy, only older now, peeking out a window and seeing a line of death eaters approaching the house, and mostly, an overall feeling of loneliness and grief. Finally, I saw into his future, which was vague.

I had originally planned and describing in detail what I had seen, but I could not do that to him. So I simplified it as each vision flashed before my eyes, "I see a troubled childhood which you have yet to escape. Someone close to you is hurting and you want it to stop. Evil surrounds you and yet you fight to have no part of it. You are hiding heavy emotions from your friends and loved ones." He tugged away from me at that time and I opened my eyes, staring into his own cold and confused ones, "And I see a difficult choice in the future between loved ones."

Everyone was silent for a very long time. Professor Trelawney eventually started clapping and apparently stood because she was suddenly beside me, "VERY good Elise, I always enjoy watching you use your gift!" I blinked and turned away from Draco to sit in an arm chair by her desk. I had a headache all of a sudden that was not being helped by Draco and his partner, who were arguing that what I had done was all show.

"Try it with someone else, Elise." Sybill begged. I gazed at her and then around the room before letting my power seep out so I could see and feel the auras of those in the room. It didn't take long for me to realize that all of the students had rough pasts. See, reading an aura is like reading a summary of the person's past and personality. How they view the world and what they currently feel is on the outside, and deeper are the scars and sometimes gifts of their pasts. Every single Hogwarts student in that classroom had scarred auras. I didn't want to see their pasts, or their futures. So I shook my head and stood.

"I'm not feeling so well, Professor." I said softly, "I'm going to take a little walk, if you don't mind."

"Not at all!" she replied, "The next time we have this class you can help with palm reading."

I nodded and made my way to the trap door, totally aware of the many pairs of eyes on my back as I descended the magical ladder.

* * *

Thirty minutes later I heard the trap door open and the students voices as they clambered down the ladder and made their way down the large spiral staircase. I was sitting on the large sill of one of the enormous windows that lined the Divination tower, watching the light play through the multi-colored glass. When the little group reached my window, Hermione stopped.

"Are you alright, Elise?" She asked, touching my arm. I blinked up into her brown eyes and was instantly jealous. She was brilliant and beautiful. I was neither. But I couldn't blame her for that; it wasn't her fault.

"Yeah." I sighed, "I just have a really bad headache. I get those sometimes." Her eyes narrowed and she frowned as if my words didn't sound true. They may not have; I hadn't tried to be convincing. I just wanted to be alone so I could sort out my thoughts. Hermione was a sweet girl and I wanted to be friends with her. It just wasn't a good time.

"Okay." She said slowly as Harry tugged on her sleeve, insisting that they were going to be late. Before leaving, they, including the other boy introduced to me as Dean Thomas, said goodbye. I watched them hurry down the stairs to their next class. I didn't have to help Sybill out for a few more hours. I honestly had no clue what to do for that time. Explore the castle I guess. I was in the process of determining what I should do when I realized Draco Malfoy was standing on the stairs next to me. I blinked at him.

"What did you really see?" He asked quietly. I studied his face and it looked like he really wanted to know.

"Do you really want to know? I saw some pretty personal things and I don't want to disturb you with the knowledge of what I now know about you." He rolled his eyes and got angry.

"Just spit it out, Reeves." He sighed in exasperation. I shrugged. If that's what he really wanted. I started by telling him of how I saw his father abusing him and his mother. He looked shocked.

"Did you think I was making up the fact that I saw you past?" I asked tiredly. So many people thought that.

"Yeah." He said simply, "I mean, Trelawney said you couldn't use magic or anything, that you could just use your 'inner eye' and such nonsense."

"So you thought I was lying." I finished dryly, making it a statement more than a question. He nodded and I got a little angry.

"I figured you just made it up to get into Hogwarts." He said with a shrug. That made me even more angry. I hate the fact that I can't use magic and that everyone thinks I lie about my 'gift' just to get things or places. I hopped off the sill and glared up into his eyes. Me being five feet, six inches to his six-two didn't help with intimidation. Oh well.

"Tell me, Draco," I hissed, "How does it feel to have a death eater for a father. How does it feel to know he beats your mother and will kill her soon if you don't do anything. How does it feel to know you have some tough choices in your future, like if you should follow in your father's footsteps or not."

Draco's fair skin paled even more. Good; I'd frightened him. There was one thing I had left out that I hadn't mentioned to the class or anyone. One thing I knew would happen for sure and that nothing he, nor anyone else, could change, and it very well might destroy his heart and mind. I thought about telling him right there because of his arrogance, but I didn't. I wasn't that cruel. So I turned on my heel and marched down the stairs, not sure where I was going. I just left him there, not caring what he did with himself. I had felt in his aura and when I touched him that he hated what people thought of him. Well, know I knew why people thought that; he was an ass and deserved it. If he really wanted people to like him, then by God he needed to abide by the Golden Rule. It wasn't my problem though, and I wasn't going to worry about it. I had bigger fish to fry; over the past few hours a feeling of eminent doom had been steadily growing in my heart, and that was a very bad sign.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

* * *

I was in the library that evening when I was joined by Hermione, Harry, and a tall boy with fiery red hair. Hermione introduced him to me as Ron Weasely. I shook his hand and fought the urge to look into his past and future, instead choosing to feel out his aura. His past felt to be less traumatic than Hermione's and Harry's, and he was a kind if not slightly dense boy. I immediately liked him when he started joking around about how he used to get good or decent grades in Divination years ago by just making up various futures where Harry died traumatically. And though I am not one to joke about people's futures, I couldn't help but laugh.

I also couldn't shake the feeling that something very bad was going to happen soon. If I only knew what it involved I could concentrate on it and see what was going to happen. But I was stuck with just a bad feeling, so I pushed it aside for the time being and spent time with Hermione and her friends. Eventually, however, Hermione shooed the boys out of the library because she needed my help.

"I'm really bad at Divination." She confessed to me after we took seats at a secluded table. "I've always had trouble connecting with my 'inner eye' or whatever. And I had to deal with Professor Trelawney putting me down constantly. I'm just taking Advanced Divination so it looks good on my resume."

I laughed at her last comment. From what I knew about Hermione, she would do something like that, "Sure I'll help." I agreed, "But it would be best to work in a closed, calm environment."

She nodded and stood, "That's fine, we can go up to my dorm and work in my room."

"Alright." I smiled and put back the book I had been reading before she and her friends arrived. I helped her carry her mass of study materials and followed her out the library and up several flights of stairs.

"I just hope Malfoy isn't there." She called over her shoulder. Sybill had told me that Hermione was Head Girl and Draco was Head Boy. I hadn't realized they shared a dorm.

"Me too." I replied, "I've only spoken to him a few times and I already can't tolerate his attitude."

Hermione laughed and stopped at a large painting of a mountain landscape. "Tiddly-tump." She said and it swung open. She turned back to me, "I don't care if you know the password, Elise. You can stop by whenever you want."

I grinned at her and bowed awkwardly so as not to spill her books out of my arms, "I am honored, m'lady."

She giggled and stepped back, "After you!" I laughed and went through the opening and down a short entrance hallway lined with flickering torches.

To our immense disappointment, Draco was there. He was sprawled out on the couch writing a letter, a dark grey owl already resting on the perch by one of the windows. He glanced up from his letter, looked down, and looked back up again with a frown.

"What are you doing here, Reeves?" he asked curtly. "It's bad enough already I have to share a dorm with a mudblood, but a squib is even worse."

"I'm here to help Hermione with her Divination work." I said and smiled sweetly. I was going to try to 'kill 'im with kindness', as my grandmother used to say. His frown deepened as he watched us, Hermione leading the way up a wide spiral stair case.

We came to a long hall with two doors on the left and one on the right. She walked swiftly passed the first two and went directly to the last door, the second on the left. She kicked it open and walked over to the bed, where she dropped her books and stretched. I followed suit, gazing about her room as I did so.

It was very large, with what looked like a walk-in closet to the right. A desk was against the left wall. A large wardrobe and a set of drawers were against the same wall as the door and a small table with a clock and lamp was beside the king-sized four-poster bed. Other than those items and her trunk at the foot of her bed, the room was bare.

She must have realized what I was thinking, because she laughed, "I don't spend a lot of time here, so I didn't bother decorating."

"Ah." I sat on the edge of the bed and yawned before flopping down on my back. Such a comfortable bed. I closed my eyes and heard her sorting through her books. A few minutes later I felt the bed bounce a bit as she moved onto it.

"So, what first?" she asked. I opened my eyes and turned my head, smiling when I saw she had mirrored my position.

"Find your calm." I said sitting up and kicking off my shoes. I crawled all the way up onto the bed and sat Indian style, facing her. She mimicked me and looked a bit confused.

"How do I do that?" she asked. I sucked on my bottom lip as I thought.

"Think of something relaxing. Push away all stressful thoughts and feelings." I smiled, "It's a lot like meditating."

I watched her close her eyes. After a few minutes her dark brows knit together. "You're concentrating too hard." I pointed out. "You have to let everything go. Don't think too much."

She nodded, "And how do I find my…inner eye?"

"It's…" I faltered. How to explain it. "You sort of have to reach out for it with a metaphysical hand. Everyone's eye is in a different place. Mine has three locations, which may be why my visions are so strong and I can actually control them."

"Where are they?" Hermione asked. She sounded drowsy, which was good. She was getting there.

"There's in my belly, sort of below my stomach but above my uterus. Another is in my heart, and the third is at the base of my brain. I guess you could say near the medulla." It was odd saying that out loud. I had always known where my precognitions came from, but never had to explain or tell it to someone.

"How do you know they are there?"

"Hm. Well, when I reach out to them, I feel coldness. Almost everyone else I've taught, however, has found warmth. A few have felt a chill and they are usually a bit stronger."

"Oh…" Hermione sounded as if she was about to fall asleep. I was about to warn her to be careful of that when something cold slammed into my brain. Leapt off the bed and dashed for the door.

"Be right back!" I called back as I heard her begin to ask questions. I ran down the hallway and took the stairs two at a time. When I reached the bottom I slipped and almost fell as I stopped and turned. Draco was at the window holding an envelope. He looked up at me and frowned. I vaulted over the couch and almost ran into him.

"What the bloody hell are you doing, Reeves?" he demanded.

"Give me the envelope!" I commanded, ignoring his question completely. I heard Hermione coming down the stairs.

"No!" he jerked his arm away from me. Damn him. I gritted my teeth in frustration.

"It's not from your mother!" I yelled. A confused look came over him, but he still didn't hand it over. So I punched him in the gut, hard. When he doubled over I knocked his feet out from under him. He landed with and 'ompf' and dropped the envelope. I dove over him and snatched it up before scrambling to my feet.

"Elise!" Hermione called from somewhere behind me, "What's going on?"

I ignored her too and quickly opened the window. Out of my peripheral I saw Draco get to his feet. I crumpled the envelope up, heard Draco yell out 'oi!', threw it as hard as I could out the window, and closed the glass. Draco threw me out of the way and started to open the window again.

"Why'd you--" he started. I grabbed the back of his shirt and jerked him back, hard. We fell onto the floor in a confuse knot of arms and legs. Then there was an explosion that rocked the tower. The glass of the window exploded inwards and rained on top of us. All was silent for a few moments and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I rolled off Draco, stumbling to my feet, and gently brushed the bits of glass off me. Hermione was suddenly beside me, throwing her arms around me, "Oh my God! Elise are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I hugged her back and looked down at Draco, who was staring up at me. I couldn't quite read the expression on his face. I gave him a weak smile, "You alright, then?"

"Uh…" he blinked and sat up. "Yes. Splendid…"

"Good." I turned back to Hermione, who had released me. I pointed to the window, "Can you fix that."

She shifted a bit as she thought, "I don't think so." I frowned. That wasn't good. I didn't want to have to tell a teacher what had happened…but we couldn't just leave the window open like that. And perhaps we'd have to anyway, I realized. Others had to have heard the explosion. Silly me.

"We have to tell a teacher then, or Professor Dumbledore." I stated and sat down to lean against the couch. I flinched when a sharp pain lanced up my arm. There was a nice sized piece of glass in my forearm. I stared at it for a while before taking it and sliding it out. Blood welled up at the wide wound and dripped slowly down my arm. I stood and looked around for something to use to stop it. Hermione was a few feet away from me and Draco was still on the floor, lying on his back. They were both staring at me.

"Didn't that hurt?" Draco asked. I shrugged. Honestly, it had. A lot. Over the years, however, I had taught myself to ignore pain. And, though I don't like to admit it, I enjoy some pain. Only certain kinds though. But I was not about to admit that to either of them. I felt a poke in my ribs and turned to find Hermione beside me with a towel. God only knows where she found it. Heck, she probably conjured it up. Regardless of its origination, I accepted the towel and pressed it against the gash.

"I'm going to get Professor Dumbledore." Hermione said weakly before turning and hurrying away. I sighed and tried to find a place to sit but there was no where to go. The glass from the window was everywhere. I went to kneel beside Draco.

"Tie this, please." I said, extending my arm. He sat up slowly and winced a bit. I was guessing he also had some glass cuts. He didn't say anything while he tied the small towel, but I noticed he did his best not to touch me. I suppose he doesn't want a repeat of what happened in class.

"Stay here." I said, standing with a sigh, and hurried upstairs. I went to the only door on the right, assuming it was a bathroom, and I was right. I grabbed a few of the large towels and searched around until I found some antiseptic and tissues. After grabbing that and some bandages, I ran back down the stairs. Draco was standing where I left him and looked unhappy.

"That was all very…odd." He said. I nodded, not having the energy to talk, and motioned for him to follow me. He did so, slowly, wincing every few steps. He was walking very stiffly. Not a good sign. He took a deep breath when he reached me at the stairs. "How did you know?"

"I'm a clairvoyant, silly." I said with a smile. I pointed to one of the steps and he sat. I took a seat as well, only two steps up, confirming my suspicions when I saw his back; the glass had sliced through his shirt and into his skin. He was not going to like what I was about to do. "Unbutton your shirt and slip your arms out."

"What?!" he tried to turn to look at me, but couldn't because of the glass. I rolled my eyes.

"Just do it." He grumbled and cursed, but slowly began to unbutton his shirt. While he pulled his arms out of the sleeves I held the shirt at the shoulder, so when he was free it didn't pull on the glass.

"This is going to hurt." I said bluntly. He pulled out his wand and waved it absently. A cabinet not to far away sprung open and a bottle came flying at us. He caught it in his hand and pulled the cork out, taking a long draw of it.

"What's that?" I asked, though as soon as I smelled it I knew; fire whisky. "Oh. I see."

"I needed it anyway." He muttered. "Go ahead."

The shirt was already shredded, so pulling it off and avoiding the glass wasn't too difficult. I could tell when I hit a sore spot because the muscles in his, probably once smooth, back tightened. I got the ruined shirt off as quickly as possible and set it to the side. I so don't want to do this, I thought as I studied the pieces of glass in Draco's back. I may be a slight masochist, but I definitely wasn't a sadist. But it had to be done.

"Tell me about your mother." I said and gently took a piece of glass between my fingers. I wanted to try to distract him as much as possible.

"She's—" he stopped when I pulled the shard out. The muscles on his back tightened, causing a ripple effect. He took a deep breath and continued speaking as I kept pulling out the glass, wiping antiseptic on each cut after extracting the glass. "She's wonderful. Brilliant. I had heard from others that before I was born she was a bit of a shrew. But I guess after I came round she smarted up. Really, she's a great mother it's just…"

"Your father that has ruined everything." I finished for him. He didn't say anything for a while and I wondered if I had offended him or something. But he sighed and nodded.

"He was alright until I was about seven. Then…I don't know. I don't want to talk about him."

"That's fine." I could understand not wanting to talk about someone who abused you. I had ridden that horse to death. Yeah, it helps to talk about it, but the timing has to be right. Being forced to go to a shrink doesn't always help. So I tried to get him to think of other things, "Your mother is beautiful. You look a lot like her."

"Yeah…" he said and flinched as I pulled out a particularly large piece of glass. He took a long I was trying to wipe up all the blood that came from the wounds, but there were a lot and I had to be careful of the glass still in his back. So the blood just dripped in rivulets down his pale back and would have to wait for me to be finished to get wiped up. Oh well.

"What are you going to do after finishing here, at Hogwarts?" I tried. I could have asked him directly where he was going to take his mother to get away from his father, but I was willing to bet that would upset him. Nobody likes it when a near stranger knows your inner thoughts, desires, and secrets.

"You already know." He said shortly. Oh. Well then. I sighed tiredly. Almost finished.

"I know what you -want- to do, but not what you are going to do or plan to do." There. I looked down at the small pile of bloodied glass beside me and was glad I wasn't squeamish. I set aside the tissues I'd used to put antiseptic on the wounds and picked up the largest towel I had grabbed in my haste and laid it out on Draco's back. When I saw the small pool of blood collecting on the steps he was sitting on, I realized that the cuts and slices were bleeding pretty badly. I laid another towel in the puddle of blood and quickly wiped it up. I set that a few steps above us and then scooted down a step so I was almost spooning his back. Draco stiffened and from his aura, I could tell he was very uncomfortable.

And don't get me wrong, I so didn't want to do this. Draco was a jerk. But it had to be done. He was losing a lot of blood, and I knew there was a hospital wing but it was pretty far away and if he walked or moved he would bleed more. So I pressed against the towel with my arms and part of my body to get the bleeding to stop. We sat like that for a few minutes in silence.

"I want to get her away from him." Draco said suddenly. I hadn't expected him to continue speaking about his situation, so I was surprised. He ran a hand through his hair. "He's a terrible man, my father. Always trying to get me to be like him. And the worst thing is some little part of me wants to be like him. I have to fight it though. So really…I just want to get my mother the hell away from him."

I noticed he only spoke about getting his mother away from Lucius. Did that mean he would sacrifice himself for his mother? Would he give anything for her? And as I thought about it I realized my one finger was touching the skin of his neck. I immediately threw up my shields so I wouldn't delve into his past or personal life.

I call them shields but I don't know what they are. Just some psychic shit that keeps my power from going berserk whenever I touch someone or think of something specific. The vision of what I had seen, the one vision of Draco's future that I had not told him, flashed before my eyes. I tried to stop thinking about it but it didn't work well. So I concentrated on something else. Hermione.

I thought about our future together as friends, and what I saw shocked me.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Draco

* * *

I heard Reeves gasp behind me and her hands convulsed. Of course, her hands were flat on my back holding the towel in place, so she scraped through the cuts on my back. Needless to say it hurt like hell. I jumped up and away from her with a yelp, "What the bloody hell was that for?"

She blinked up at me through the brown and pink hair that had fallen in her face. She stood slowly and walked away from me, almost as if in a daze. She turned around and ran her fingers through her hair, which seemed odd to me because there was antiseptic and blood on them. But hey, she can do whatever she wants. I didn't care. She looked around the room frantically for a few seconds before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Erm…everything alright?" I asked, figuring I should show a little concern to repay her for working on my back. Speaking of which, I could feel it bleeding again and it hurt like a mother. I ignored the feeling of blood soaking into my pants, however, when Reeves sat down on the floor and just stared straight ahead.

"I had an…um…an interesting vision." She said in a monotonous tone.

"Oh, really?" I asked feigning interest. She must have been distracted because she didn't catch it. Just kept staring and nodding.

"Yeah…but it wasn't one that's um…set in stone." She shook her head and stood slowly. I noticed the blood, my blood, on her jeans and green sweater. Pity.

"Well isn't that nice." I said dryly. She glared at me.

"Don't be an ass, Malfoy." She sneered. "I was helping you out of the kindness of my heart, even though I don't like you. So show some appreciation."

"Hm." I put a finger on my chin and pretended to think hard, "I don't recall asking for your help at all. Besides, you're nothing but a squib. Actually, you're worse than that. You shouldn't even be in the magical world."

She gaped at me, clearly shocked. Even I was a bit surprised at my words. I had wanted to lay off the insults a bit this year, but Reeves had made me feel weak and I am certainly not weak. I smirked at her and she closed her mouth, her face taking on a very calm expression.

"Oh, really? Is that what you think, Draco?" She was acting now, and the way she purred out my name sent a slight shiver down my spine. Which sort of hurt, but I ignored it. Reeves was up to something. She sauntered towards me and stopped about a foot away from me. "I am anything but useless, Draco."

"Sure." I said through gritted teeth. Where had she learned to use her voice like that? Her last statement, to me, sounded like a lot more that what the words said. And she still said my name in a way that made me want to close my eyes and just…I don't know how to explain it. It was just nice.

"No really." She said and grinned. Quick as a flash, Reeves snatched my hand and wrapped her fingers around mine. I felt my eyes grow wide. I didn't want her to know any more about my past.

"Let go of me, Reeves." I said calmly, "You've seen enough of my past."

She laughed softly, "Indeed. You know nothing about me, Draco." Again with the name thing. I fought back a shiver. She leaned forward and stared into my eyes. Her own eyes were a soft brown with flicks of green and yellow throughout them. She smiled wickedly, "You have no idea what I can do."

"See the past and future." I stated, trying to sound calm. She laughed again.

"Yes, I can do that." She cocked her head to the side, causing her strange pink-streaked hair to fall to the side. What was she doing? "But I can do more than that. I can force you to relive a memory over. And over. And over."

I felt the blood drain from my face. She wouldn't dare. Had she seen something she could use against me? And could she even do that? Or was she lying? I was so confused and didn't know what to do or say. And stupid me, when I get into a predicament I don't like, said something dumb.

"Sure you can, Reeves. Just like you can use a wand and pigs can fly." Her eyes flashed with anger and suddenly everything went black.

I wasn't in the common room of the dorm I shared with Granger. Reeves wasn't in front of me, holding my hand anymore. The pain in my back was gone. There was nothing. And the, a light. Slowly everything came into focus. I was sitting in the corner, a terrible fear washing over me. I looked down at my self and I was tiny. A sound drew my attention back to the door way of the den. My den. From Malfoy Manor. What was going on? My father entered the room, dragging mother. He threw her to the ground and began screaming at her, curse words flying left and right. I cowered down, hoping he wouldn't see me. I watched on as he kicked her a few times and turned away to leave the room, but then stopped. He turned slowly to face me, long blond hair in disarray. He smiled evilly and walked slowly to me. I could hear my mother behind him, begging him not to harm me, her swollen lips making it difficult to understand her. When my father was right in front of me, he grinned and raised a hand to hit me, and I screamed.

Then I was back in the common room. Reeves had released me and stepped back a few feet. I saw a few tears slide down her cheeks before she turned away from me. "Don't ever make me do that again." She whispered.

I could feel tears on my cheeks as well and I wiped them away before managing to speak, "If you say that, then why did you do that to begin with?" My voice wavered and I had to breathe slowly to regain my composure. Reeves turned back to me with a blank face, all traces of tears gone.

"Because I saw it too, and it was horrible. No child, or mother or wife or girlfriend or boyfriend, or anyone for that matter should be abused." She sighed heavily, "But I had to show you that I know how to handle myself, that you can't push me around. Because if you force me to, I will make you relive that experience, or another one, again and again."

"So…you could have replayed that over and over in my mind?" I asked in a small voice. It had been a while since someone had made me feel so powerless. Especially someone as petite as Reeves. She nodded slowly and opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by the portrait door banging open. Granger came rushing in with Dumbledore and McGonagall. I didn't miss the fact that Reeves looked a bit frightened when Granger approached us. What was wrong with her? I was finally curious about what her vision had been about. Obviously Granger.

"Miss Granger." Dumbledore started in his soft and annoying voice, "Please escort Mister Malfoy to the hospital wing so Madame Pomfrey may finish dressing his wounds." I made a face and followed Granger. I would have complained, but my back hurt like hell and I was getting a little dizzy. I pass out easy, but don't tell anyone.

When Reeves began to follow us, Dumbledore stopped her with a hand on her arm, "No, no, Miss Reeves, I would like you to stay so we can figure out what exactly happened."

I had grabbed a towel as we left the common room and I wrapped it around my torso, hoping to stop the blood and cover myself. I'm actually a modest person, but I see that as another sign of weakness so I try not to advertise that fact. For a good while Granger and I walked in silence. We were approaching a secluded staircase that led right to the hospital wing when she spoke.

"Did you thank her?"

I glanced over at her, confused. "What?"

"Elise." She said, meeting my eyes and scrutinizing me. I looked away. Granger sighed, "She saved your life, Malfoy. You could show some appreciation. She doesn't even like you, but she still felt compelled to save you."

"What would a lousy Mudblood know…" I muttered more to myself than her. I had been thinking about that. Why hadn't I thanked her? I guess it just wasn't in my nature. But still, and though this is the only time I will admit it, Granger was right. Reeves could have easily let me die. I wanted to ask her how she knew, but I had been a jerk to her and she probably wouldn't talk to me anyway. Besides, I shouldn't associate with Squibs. Right? That's how I was raised, at least. And another question on my mind was who sent me that letter? Maybe Reeves knew…or maybe she could find out. I would have to apologize and thank her, I realized as we reached the hospital wing. I wouldn't like doing that, apologizing wasn't in my nature. But it was necessary.

* * *

I was in the hospital wing for the rest of the night. Pomfrey fixed up my back with a wave of her wand and some goopy stuff but wouldn't let me leave until morning. When she released me I got the hell out of there and went back to the Head's dorm to shower and get some breakfast before classes started.

When I went upstairs to the bathroom I heard the shower running. Great. I would bet a lot of money that Granger took forever to get ready. I sighed and went to wait in my room, but just when I'd opened the door none other than the Mudblood herself came out of the other bedroom. Her hair was damp and she was in her uniform skirt and a white dress shirt. I blinked at her and looked over to the bathroom door, confused. She yawned and walked across the hall before saying, "Elise." Then she slipped in the bathroom.

I went into my room and laid down on my black and green bed. Reeves…and Granger. In the bathroom together. An odd thought. But they're girls, so I guess they were willing to share the bathroom while getting ready. But why was Reeves here? In the shower. I couldn't help but see a self-made image of the petite girl naked. I made a noise of frustration and beat my head with a pillow. Mustn't imagine a Squib nude. That's just disgusting. The only thing worse would be to think of Granger…I screamed in frustration and then heard a knock on the door.

"What the bloody hell do you want?!" I snapped. Thinking of Reeves and Granger naked had been a bad, bad thing, and had affected me in a way I hadn't expected. No, I will not say how it affected me. The door opened and Granger stuck her head in.

"I want you to stop screaming like a banshee, alright." She smirked, "I know you're sexually frustrated because good ol' Crabbe and Goyle aren't here to pleasure you, but I don't want to hear it." I threw my pillow at her as hard as I could, but she pulled back and shut the door. The pillow hit the closed door harmlessly and flopped to the ground. I needed a shower and to get the hell away from Granger and Reeves.

* * *

_A/N: Sorry if this seemed a little short! I have a minor case of writer's block, and I wanted to get a chapter out, so I just finished this. Argh, I hope it isn't horrid. R&R please!!_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Elise

* * *

I had been at Hogwarts helping Sybill for about three months and actually felt at home there at the castle. I had made fast friends with Hermione, Harry and Ron. I spent a lot of time at the Head's dorm, studying or just spending the night, so I learned to tolerate Malfoy. Only the Slytherins seemed to reject me for my lack of magical ability, and if they were excessively rude, I'd find away to show them who's boss; I did what I did with Malfoy. And it worked. The Slytherin's left me alone now, save Malfoy and Blaise Zabini.

It was a cold, snowy Saturday that we set out for a trip to Hogsmeade, and I was shivering in my boots. The four of us, Harry, Ron, Hermione and I, walked in a line, arms linked. I was between Harry and Hermione, and Ron was on Hermione's other side. It was fun because we all had different strides, so we stumbled around causing one or all of us to erupt in giggles. Plus it made the cold a bit more bearable. When people saw us coming their way, they hurried to the other side of the road to avoid us. We were honestly acting like we were five, even though we were three seventeen year olds and a sixteen year old. Oh well. I'm a big believer in living life to its fullest.

We went into the Three Broomsticks to load up on butterbeer before exploring the quaint town. After purchasing out drinks, we took a table in the back corner and chattered on about quiditch and other things. At one point, the girl named Luna came in by herself. I had only spoken to her a few times when she was in Advanced Divination, and she was a little odd, but still very nice.

"Luna!" I called out and waved when she looked. "Come sit with us!"

"What?!" Ron hissed next to me. The only open seat was beside him, "Are you crazy, she's nuts!"

"No she's not, Ron." I rolled my eyes, "She's just a little different. And very good at divination."

Ron slumped back in his seat as Luna came over with her drink and settled down. She graced us all with a dreamy smile.

"Thanks for letting me sit with you all." She said in her distant voice, "I've been soooo lonely lately. For some reason people are avoiding me more than usual lately."

"Yeah, I wonder why." Ron muttered under his breath. I kicked him under the table. The only thing was that Harry and Hermione also kicked him, so he leapt out of his chair with a yelp.

"What the bloody--" he stopped when Luna blinked up at him. He glared angrily at Harry, Hermione and myself, his face almost as red as his hair. The three of us gave him innocent looks before turning back to our drinks.

"What's wrong, Ronald?" Luna asked softly. He glanced at her and sat back down with a pout. He crossed his arms and smiled at Luna.

"Oh, nothing. I just think a couple of BUGS bit me. I'll make sure to kill them later though." Luna looked a bit confused at his phrasing, but I laughed along with Harry and Hermione. Luna suddenly stopped and looked seriously at me. She held out her hand to me and smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes.

"Feel how cold my hand is." She said softly. I smiled back and touched her hand. She obviously wanted to tell me something, so I used my Inner Eye to see what she was thinking, a talent I had just learned and perfected in the past month.

I saw what she wanted. A daydream, really. Luna was sitting with Ron before a fire, her head on his chest and his arm around her. The feeling coming from her was warm and content. The next thing I saw was her talking to Ron, asking him out. He didn't answer and the thought vanished, leaving a feeling of confusion. I released her hand and sat back.

"Do you think my hand is cold?" Luna asked anxiously. I hardly noticed the other three at the table, watching us curiously. I frowned and thought about it. How did Ron feel about Luna? I hadn't really thought about it. I was becoming more discrete with using my Inner Eye so…

"I'm not sure, I need to compare it with someone. Ron, give me your hand." The red-head's eyes narrowed a bit, but he gave me his hand. I smiled and gripped, it, quickly delving into his thoughts about Luna. What I got was that he found her very pretty and interesting. I dropped his hand seconds after touching it and turned to Luna. "Your hand is definitely cold. You should find a way to warm it up, it's definitely worth a shot."

Luna beamed at me and I returned the smile. Harry and Ron looked utterly confused and Hermione was gazing at me suspiciously. I gave her a small smile and stood.

"I'm going for a walk." I announced. Hermione began to rise but I held out a hand, "I have some thinking to do, so I'd prefer to go alone. I'll meet you guys in an hour at Honeydukes, though, if you want."

"Sure." Hermione said with a frown. Luna leapt up.

"And I need to buy my cousin something for his birthday." She turned to Ron, "You know a lot about what the male species likes, will you come with me to Zonkos and help me pick something out?"

Ron glanced around and he shrugged, "Erm…sure, I guess." I had to seal off my Inner Eye completely because the elation emanating from Luna was staggering. I slipped out from behind the table and waved to my four friends.

"See you later." I left and smiled to myself. I didn't really have anything to think about; I was just playing matchmaker. I knew Hermione had a bit of a crush on Harry and vice versa, and I now knew that Luna was crazy about Ron. I hoped it worked out and I hadn't destroyed any friendships.

Hogsmeade was beautiful and I loved it. I no longer regretted coming to the Wizarding World. I wasn't shunned and everything was much more entertaining than that of the Muggle World. I followed a path that out of town that led into the woods and to the Shrieking Shack, or so the little map I'd bought said. Hermione had told me of the adventure she and the boys had experienced at the Shrieking Shack during their third year, and I wanted to check it out.

I stopped at the fence and gazed up the hill at the old and shambling house, wondering what sort of interesting stories were hidden behind the walls, besides my friends' story. I wished I could touch inanimate objects and be able to see what had happened there or to them. I leaned against the one of the rickety posts and day dreamed about becoming a famous detective who could touch a murder weapon or something left behind by a criminal and know who it was, where they were going, and such. I'm not sure how long I stood there alone, but I soon felt the presence of someone else. I left my simple day dream and turned around to see who it was.

Draco Malfoy had graced me with his presence. He stood about ten feet away, watching me. He wore a dark green designer coat, black pants and boots, and had a silver scarf wound around his neck. His hair looked more blond amidst all the snow.

"Draco." I nodded and turned back, frowning because I wasn't sure how this was going to go. Draco and I hadn't been getting along the past few months, but we also hadn't been fighting like he and Hermione usually did. We just sort of…tolerated each other and worked together when needed.

"I've got a question for you, Reeves." He said softly and walked up beside me, hands in his pockets. I glanced over at him.

"Sure. But first, where's your posse?" He smiled wryly at me.

"There not my posse. And I've been getting sick of them lately." He turned back to look at the Shrieking Shack. "All those weeks ago…when that letter came…why did you save me?"

I blinked and thought the answer to be obvious. When he looked over at me seriously I realized he honestly didn't know. "Because it was the right thing to do." I pointed out.

"Ah…" he sighed and looked off into the distance, "How did you know? Specifically."

"I had been having a terrible feeling at the base of my mind all day." He looked at me curiously and I smiled. "Whenever something…fatal is going to happen, I start to get this odd feeling at the bottom of my…brain. And then right before it happens I get an actual vision. Sometimes I can stop it and sometimes I can't. Thankfully, this time I was able to prevent it. I wanted to, because seeing you explode was…traumatizing. Nobody should have to see someone explode." I shuddered.

Draco's eyes widened, "So you actually saw me…blow up?"

"Yeah." I grimaced, "It wasn't very pretty."

"Merlin's beard…" Draco breathed, "you must see a lot of horrid things."

"Yeah." I shrugged. "I've gotten used to it and learned to handle it though."

"I guess you'd have to, then, or go mad." He murmured thoughtfully. I nodded and turned around, studying the forest. The trees were so pretty this time of year, all covered in snow. I felt Draco touch my arm. "Thank you, Elise."

I turned back to him and smiled, "For what?"

He dropped his hand and smiled slightly, "For saving my life and explaining it to me. And also…not telling anyone about my past."

"Of course." I smiled in surprise. I never expected Draco Malfoy to thank me for anything. He rubbed the back of his head as a guilty expression washed over his face.

"And sorry for the way I've treated you. Calling you Squib and all. You're very…talented." By the way he screwed up his face I could tell Draco didn't apologize often, so I was very grateful.

"No worries. I appreciate the apology." I checked my watch and patted his arm, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to meet some people at Honeydukes."

He nodded and turned back to stare off into space, something he'd been doing a lot in Divination. I huddled up and walked back to town, pondering over what just happened. Was Draco my friend now? Or was that just a one time deal and when we went back to class he'd be a jerk again. I will admit I was a bit curious, but it would have to wait. I was anxious to see how my little matchmaker plan had turned out.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, this chapter seems a little short to me, but whatevs. I wanted to get it finished because the next chapter is going to be F.U.N. fun! Let's just say it involves Draco, Hermione, Elise and lots of Firewhiskey, MUAHAHAHAHA! Some new thoughts and desires will be discovered, and maybe a secret romance! Tune in next week for…oh wait, this isn't tv. Sorry. Ha ha ha! Reviews please! Even if you have problems with something, let me know, just no FLAMING! I love constructive criticism. Later gators. Love ya!**


	6. SORRY!

Okay, so I know I've been sucking it up with updates, not that too many people read this story, but I JUST NOW found it again and read it, and I'm going to try to continue it. I found that I have the real chapeter 6 half-way completed, so I'm going to work on it some more! I can't remember what my original plot was for this, but I'm going to review and come up with a new one, but WRITE IT DOWN this time ahhaha! Hopefully it won't be too long, a day or so, before I post the next chapter. It's hard with college and being a Chemistry major, but I'll work it out. :D LOVES!


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: OKAY! Got this up a lot faster than I thought I would. Once I got rolling I couldn't stop! Just so you know, I must issue A WARNING! Strong language, ****slash****, some sexual themes, and use of drugs (alcohol/liquor) in this chapter! If you don't like same-sex action, you may not want to read this. No actual sex involved, just some kissing. :-P Just thought I'd let you know…and just in case I need to say it again; I still don't own Harry Potter. Pity.**

Chapter Six

After a fantastic day at Hogsmeade, Hermione invited me to spend the night with her in the Heads' Dorm. I eagerly agreed and we all hurried back to Hogwarts that night after a wonderful afternoon with my friends. Luna and Ron were very late meeting us at Honeydukes, which worried me at first, but when they came in together, Luna laughing and Ron blushing, I almost jumped for joy. I had actually done something right! Nothing seemed to change between Harry and Hermione in my absence, but hey, I'm one for two, that's pretty good.

Before meeting Hermione in the Head's Dorm common room, I stopped by my private quarters, which gets very lonely, and grabbed some pajamas and clothes for tomorrow. I jumped to a stop outside the entrance to the Head's Dorm and shouted, "FIREWHISKEY!" The portrait swung open and I skipped in. Don't ask me why they changed the password to firewhiskey. I have no clue. Though it -is- a very good drink.

I stopped at the entrance to the common room and almost dropped my bag of clothes and toiletries; Draco and Hermione were sitting next to each other before the fire, Draco's arm around Hermione's shoulder, laughing their asses off. I threw my bag in the corner and walked over to them, shaking my head with a grin when I saw the two bottles of, you guessed it, firewhiskey next to them. One was empty and the other would be soon.

"What are you guys up to?" I asked, still grinning, and placed my fists on my hips. Hermione glanced up at me and giggled before grabbing my wrist and pulling me down next to her. She wrapped her arm around my waist.

"I was just telling mister Malfoy about my fucked up love life!" she leaned her head on my shoulder and sighed. I looked past her at Draco and raised an eye brow. He shrugged.

"How much have you two been drinking?" I asked as Hermione snuggled closer. I was beginning to get the feeling of déjà vu…

"I've had a couple swigs, but she's drank most of this." He grinned. "A bottle and a half wouldn't get me that wasted. I can hold my liquor."

"I see…" Draco handed the bottle to me and smiled. I took it and toasted him before taking a long drink from the half-full bottle. Lookie there, I'm an optimist. The whiskey burned down my throat and felt so good. It had been a long while since I'd had anything alcoholic. I leaned in against Hermione and took another drink before setting the bottle down. "Ahhh…so Hermione, what's bothering you?"

"Well…-hic-…I'm crazy about Harry…" she cuddled against me. Uh-oh. Did something go wrong between them today and I missed it? I frowned and hoped not. I wanted those two to be together; they were adorable. But…

"Well duh!" Draco interjected and sloshed the firewhiskey around in the bottle before setting it down without taking a drink, "I keep telling her everyone knows that." I ignored him.

"But…" I said softly, trying to get Hermione to spit it all out. I heard her sob and she buried her head against my shoulder.

"He isn't interested in me! I just-hic-know it. I thought for a long time he was and now I'm sure he isn't! I've never had a boyfriend or been kissed and I care about him SO much that I think I'm falling in love with him! And also, I've found out I'm-hic-really attracted to someone I should NOT be attracted to!"

I opened my mouth to ask who, but Draco immediately cut me off, "Trust me, Reeves, you don't want to know who it is." I thought about it and then opened my mouth in a large O when I understood who it was. Draco misinterpreted my expression and shook his head vigorously, "No, Reeves. God, no, not me."

"I wasn't thinking that at all." I said softly and closed my eyes, remembering a vision from a long time ago. Surely not… "I'm relatively sure I know who it is."

I felt Hermione lift her head. I opened my eyes and met her gaze. "Really?" she whispered. I nodded. "And you aren't…bothered by that?"

I thought about it. Honestly thought about it, and I realized it didn't bother me that Hermione was…sexually attracted to me. A shock, I know. The vision I'd had all those weeks ago had been of Hermione kissing me. And not in a sisterly way, might I add. I had no clue what to think or feel about that. I like men. I do, I swear. I've just never thought about…girls like that before. I figured if a girl ever expressed interest in me I would be freaked out, but strangely, finding out that Hermione LIKED me, didn't bother me. I smiled down at Hermione, "Nope."

"What?" I heard Draco gasp. I glanced at him and his expression was difficult to read. Some sort of mix of disbelief, shock, and few other emotions I couldn't put my finger on. "Are you serious? Reeves, does that mean you're—"

"No." I said firmly before he could finish the sentence. Hermione scooted away from me and looked a bit disheveled. Crap. Was she going to let this ruin our fantastic friendship? I hoped not. Draco glanced between the two of us and licked his lips. Oh. My. God. I understood now. I jumped up and pointed my finger at him, "DRACO MALFOY!"

"What?" he whined and took a swig from the firewhiskey. We were getting low. But I'd worry about that later and focus on the fact that… "You are SO getting turned on by this! You're excited!"

Hermione gasped, "MALFOY! I thought you hated me?"

"I never said that outright." He snapped to her and turned back to me with a shrug and another long drink, "What can I say, two attractive girls talking about their sexuality, and you may just get it on soon, well DUH that excites me."

I glared daggers at him as Hermione giggled and leaned towards him, "You really think I'm attractive, Malfoy?"

"Shut up, Hermione, you're drunk." I sighed, "and so is Draco."

"No, actually, I'm pretty sober." He pointed out with a grin. "Just loosened up enough to speak the truth. And truthfully, I think you two should make out."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, you are definitely not drunk."

"Okay, maybe a little." He mumbled guiltily.

"OH! Can we!" Hermione giggled. Draco and I both turned to her with questioning expressions. Hermione laughed louder, "Make out. I will with either of you. Despite you being a jack ass, Malfoy, you are soooo hot. And Reeves, you're just perfect."

It was going to be a long night.

-x-x-x-x-

Okay. Sos I'm a lil on the drunk side, I thought with a giggle. Sobser enough to thinks a bit, but TOTALLY AWESOMELY FUN. Hee-hee.

I lay there between Draco and Hermione as we cuddled on the floor. Well, Hermione and I cuddled, and Draco just kinda laid there with his hand on my leg. He was the most sober of the three of us. Somewhere and somehow we had found a third and fourth bottle of firewiskey. I think Draco-Maco has a seeeecret store somewhere.

"Soooooooooo…." Hermione said, dragging the word out for a full minute. I giggled profusely and Draco snorted. Hermione tried to slap my arm and half-missed. "If I'm only curshious…curiourious…umm…yeah curious, about kissing girls…well..only you really, but I don't wants to date one, or murry you, no offensh-"

"Dude, you are such a light-weight…" I interrupted. "I'm pretty drunk toos…too haha…but I can still talk better and had much more alcohols than you!"

"Shut up and let the woman talk about mackin on other women!" Draco scolded me and squeezed my leg, just above my knee. So tickly. I squirmed and laughed. He didn't stop so I jumped up, swaying a little. Just a little, I swear! I swaggered over to the couch and flopped down, my arms spread out over the back as I lounged. Hermione stared at me as if I was a goddess while Draco just watched me with a curious expression.

"So, children!" I exclaimed, "What next?"

"Truth or dare," Draco suggested with a grin.

"YES!" Hermione sat up and threw her arms into the air, almost knocking the three-quarters full bottle of firewiskey on the hearth. It was our fourth bottle, haha. I had no idea what time it was, and didn't care.

"The only reason he wants us to is so he can see us "mack" on each other," I pointed out, smiling despite myself. I honestly sort of wanted to. Both to see what it was like, and to just fuck with Draco. Figuratively of course.

"So?" he raised his fine eyebrows. That boy was usually so obnoxious, but tonight he had been so honest and refreshing and fun. I wondered what had changed. Or if it was just the alcohol. I'd figure it out later.

"Fine," I gave him the best sexy smirk I could, which probably ended up looking ridiculous. "Draco; truth or dare?"

"Sweet!" He sat up eagerly, looking like a little boy on Christmas morning. "Elise Reeves, I dare you to make out, as in _seriously_ make out, with Hermione Granger, for at least ten seconds."

"Just ten seconds?" I joked.

"No wait!" he exclaimed.

"Too late!" I giggled, then turned to Hermione. I beckoned her with a crooked finger, "Come, join me n the couch…"

She clumsily crawled towards me and I helped her up next to me, suppressing a laugh the entire time. Once she was settled, I did my best to ignore Draco and make it as interesting and torturous for him as possible. I could sense his aura flaring with multiple emotions. Slipping my hands on either side of Hermione's face, I gently pulled her towards me. If I'd been sober I'd be nervous, but I didn't care, and it'd been so long since I'd kissed someone that I missed it.

Our lips touched, warm and gentle at first. I heard a sharp intake of breath from Draco, and smiled inwardly. Hermione wrapper her arms around my waist and pulled me into her lap, where I straddled her and moved my hands upwards, tangling my fingers into her thick hair. I remembered her saying she'd never been kissed before, so I wanted this to be good. I nibbled lightly on her lower lip before biting it gently and drawing it between my own lips, flicking against hers with my tongue. She gasped a little and, proving to be the good learner as always, allowed me to show her how a pretty girl like her should be kissed.

After what had to be at least a minute of heated kissing and heavy breaths, I ended it by once again drawing her bottom lip into my mouth, running my teeth over it as I drew back. Hermione's eyes fluttered as she laid back against the arm of the couch, her forearm laid dramatically over her forehead. She sighed happily. I smiled, resting my hands on my thighs, right below the hemline of my skirt (which somehow rode up a bit higher…weird…), and turned to look at Draco. I was still straddling Hermione.

His eyes were wide and a dark stormy grey as he stared at us. I couldn't quite read the expression on his face. Somewhere throughout the little session he'd drawn his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. With his chin resting on his knees, he looks strangely innocent, despite the issued dare.

"Well?" I grinned at him. Hermione opened her eyes slowly and looked from him to me, seemingly even more drunk now.

"I…" he had to clear his throat a few times. "Well I think that was fairly interesting."

I snorted and rolled off Hermione and the couch, landing on my hands and knees to face him and the hearth. "Sad you missed out on the action?" I crawled towards him, not sure what I was doing or why. I couldn't stop my motions or mouth. Damn alcohol/kissing high. As I neared him he crab-walked backwards till his back hit the edge of the fireplace. He looked almost frightened.

I made my way to Draco, ending up with one knee between his legs, the other up beside his left hip. Placing my left hand on the floor near his side, I edged my face close to his, supporting myself with my right hand on the hearth behind him. He shrank back and I followed until our lips were almost touching. "So what will it be, Mister Malfoy?" I whispered, "Truth….or dare?"

For a long while neither of us moved. All we did was stare defiantly into each other's eyes, waiting for someone to make a move.

"Please say dare…" Hermione's voice floated over to us.

Draco's left hand found my thigh. He trailed his fingers up my skin to the hem of my skirt where he paused. The movement must have shifted his position just enough, because when he spoke, his lips brushed mine as he said, "Dare…"

**A/N: Bwahaha…R&R pleeeeease!**


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okies, this is not a substantially long or in-depth chapter, but it's fun and I am pleased with how it ended. I have written a short outline for the next few chapters so it shouldn't be too difficult for me to get them typed and posted. This chapter is just the finalization of the goofy Truth or Dare game that Draco ingeniously initiated in chapter 6. Also, CHECK OUT MY PROFILE! I have my PROFILE PICTURE as my interpretation of ELISE! :D Later I'll be changing it to an interpretation of another character from a different story, but if you want to have a good idea of how she looks (sort of), check it out. Finally, as always, I own nothing but my own OCs and plotlines. J. K. Rowling is the master of all that is Harry Potter. Here's hoping she comes out with that next book! Review please! I LOVE to receive feedback! Also, I almost always go to my reviewees sites and read at least one, if not all of their stories. Thanks lovies! 3**

**Chapter 7**

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Abruptly, I sat up with a fist pump and exclaimed, "Excellent!"

Draco blinked up at me, obviously befuddled. I stood up, a bit wobbly, and placed my fists on my hips. "Draco Malfoy I dare you to go downstairs to Argus Filch and ask to borrow some sort of cleaning supply. You must explain an absolutely ridiculous reason for needing said cleaning supply, and you can't leave him until you get it."

"Holy moly!" Hermione shrieked from behind me, "That's awesome!"

Draco's mouth fell open, "You've got to be kidding me. You get all up on…and then you…and now…what the bloody hell is wrong with you?"

"A better question is 'What _isn't_ wrong with me'" I laughed and picked my school robe up from the top of my bag, shrugging into it. "Regardless, you better start thinking; we're headed downstairs like, right now."

"This is going to be…bad, isn't it?" Hermione frowned as she stumbled over to get her own robe from beside the hearth.

"Probably," I replied as I helped her to put it on.

Draco groaned loudly and pushed himself to his feet, "This game was such an idiotic idea."

"Yeah, well, it was your idiotic idea," I pointed out with a wink, "That's what you get for being a massive horn dog."

"Well, you're right," he smirked, "I am _massive_." We all laughed as we slipped out.

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Ten minutes later we were downstairs near Filch's office and chambers. It was 4:27 in the morning and they both had classes that started at 9:00. Awesome.

Hermione and I hid behind a giant potted plant that was near the door leading to the caretaker's rooms. I had to help the poor drunk girl cover her own mouth, since she couldn't stop giggling. Draco made a rude gesture in our general direction before knocking loudly on the door. It was silent for a long time.

"Try again," I hissed. Draco kicked the door a couple times, then banged on it with his fist. A few minutes later a disheveled Filch opened the door, obviously pissed.

"What the bloody damn hell are you doing here at this hour Malfoy?" he snapped, "And this had better be damn good or I'm telling the Head Boy!"

"I AM Head Boy, you Squib," Draco growled, "I uh…I need some Mrs. Scower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover."

"Why? Just use your damn wand!" Filch yelled, then tried to close the door. Key word; tried. Draco stuck his foot in the jam and leaned against the door with his shoulder.

"Because I'm not good at cleaning shit, and I have to be careful because my broom is very delicate, so…you know," he was starting to stumble over his own words. Filch raised his eyebrows, "Well, you use it all the time and make everything so nice and…shiny…"

"What happened to yer broom, boy?" Filch asked with narrow eyes.

"Um. Well. OH! You see, I tend to sleep walk. Yeah, that's it. My mind is just too great that it never wants to sleep, and I've run out of the proper potion that keeps me from sleep walking, and apparently a few hours ago, I started walking around. In my sleep, you know? And, while sleep walking, I went into the bathroom I share with that Granger girl. For some reason I started squirting the damn Mudblood's shampoo, and shaving cream, and zit cream and all her shit ALL over the place!"

"You WHAT?" Filch asked, confused. Both my hands were now clasped over Hermione's mouth as she squealed with laughter, tears running down her cheeks onto my fingers. I was also choking back laughter. This was too good.

"Well, _I_ didn't," Draco scoffed, "Sleepwalking me did. And then I woke up, partially, you know? When you're half asleep, half awake and you don't really know what's going on. So, there I go, grabbing my _Firebolt_ of all things, and start sweeping up the globby mess. And not just on the floor, but it's on the mirrors and counters too! And for some weird-ass reason I start sweeping those too! Now, when I finally wake up all the way I start flippin my shit, because I have all this goopy crap all over my hands and the bottom of my beautiful broom." Filch stared at him for a while. I thought I was going to throw up from resisting laughing my ass off.

The caretaker scratched his raggedy head, "Why was it on your hands?"

"Uh," Draco started cracking his fingers, apparently a nervous habit, "I think that happened while sleep walking. Smeared it around and all. I found hand prints all over the place. Even one on my face. Weird as hell."

"You idiot students," Filch grumbled and disappeared. Draco turned around real quick to flip us off with a grin. When the old man shuffled back into the door way with a five liter bottle of the cleaning supply, Draco was back to looking all demure, or however you look when asking for such things.

"You might need a lot," Filch grunted, handing the bottle over.

"Uh…thanks," Draco took it from him, "Good night." Filch just glared at him and slammed the door. The three of us scampered back upstairs, not saying the whole drunken walk back upstairs. Only when we were safely in the dorm did we all burst into laughter and fell against each other and the walls.

"What am I going to do with all this?" Draco pondered, staring at the cleaner in his lap. We all stared at it for a few silent seconds before laughing like hyenas once more.

"Pull a prank, maybe," I commented as we calmed down, taking the giant bottle from him to study it. "We'll think of something."

"Maybe we could dump on someone," Hermione giggled. I rolled my eyes and set the bottle down beside me.

"We'll think of something," I sighed. With a grunt I slowly rose to my feet, "Well kids, I'm off to bed. Class in three or four hours, you know."

Draco groaned and hit his head against the wall as I helped Hermione to stand, "I don't want to, damn."

"Get over it," I grinned and took Hermione's hand, "Come dear, we must go sleep and cuddle in your bed."

Draco glared at us as we laughed and stumbled up the stairs. Tomorrow is going to suck.

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**A/N: One more thing; sorry for any typos, I seem to be very good and sticking random ones in there. BUT, if there are, I'm sorry. ^_^'**


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